Airs and Graces
by EmceeSquare
Summary: A night of jubilation comes to an end, giving way to a moment of remembrance.


**Hey, EmceeSquare here!**

**Here's my other FanFic. I finished it just now. Be advised, for it's a bit of a tearjerker. If you want something a bit more lighthearted and comical, check out my other fic "Catnip Chronicles."**

**There might be some confusion here, so I'll lay it down for you: This is a completely different story than OCBB. In this, Quaxo and Victoria are siblings.**

**As for OCBB, progress will be reduced significantly. I lost my flash drive with everything on it, so now I have to purchase a new one. And I'm out of ideas. However, it's important to know that I'm not discontinuing the story. I'm just holding off on progressing it at the moment. Prior arrangements. You can understand.**

**Anyway, please drop a review. I always like to hear from you guys.**

**So, that covers that. And here we go.**

* * *

><p>"<em>So this is this and that is that. And there's how you ad-dress a cat!"<em>

The song rang out from the center of the junkyard, signaling the end of the Jellicle Ball. After the night's events, the cats returned to their dens to get some much needed rest after a night of revelry. Others – like the Rum Tum Tugger and Bombularina – were intent on letting the party last, elongating the fun however possible. But for Plato and Victoria, who had just recently bonded, the after-party consisted of nothing more than a pleasant moonlight stroll through the junkyard. They talked about the events of the night, and how Grizabella ascended to the Heaviside Layer. They were laughing and having a great time.

"I love how Admetus played Rumpus Cat this year," Victoria remarked. "No offense, Plato, but I think he did better than you did last year."

Plato giggled. "None taken. Yeah, he did a really good job. He played it very, very well. I kept on thinking that it actually _was _Rumpus Cat up there, and not my kid brother dressed up as him."

"Yeah, he's got a real knack for that. If he were a human -"

Victoria's voice trailed off as she saw that she and her soulmate had come across hallowed ground – the makeshift shrine dedicated to her mother. A single flower – a daisy – was placed in front of the shrine, reminding everyone of the queen that was buried here.

Plato could see that Victoria was getting upset. "M-maybe we should head back. Come on."

"No," Victoria breathed. "It's fine. I…wanted to be here, anyway. With her."

She walked over to the grave, sat down, and stared at the engraving on the shrine:

_In Memory of Terpsichore,_

_The Dancing Cat_

_Loving Mother of Victoria and Quaxo_

She just sat there, her mind going back to the horrible event, playing it over and over again in her mind. She still couldn't believe that she was truly gone.

Terpsichore was the only family Victoria and Quaxo ever had. They were practically inseparable: they went everywhere with each other. To see them – mother and daughter together – was one of the most precious things anyone could see. A tender-hearted mother and her beautiful kitten. Not a more beautiful sight could be seen. She taught Victoria everything she knew about dance. She would twirl through the air, doing unfathomable leaps. She would watch her mother do the hardest moves and make them look so easy. And now, she's gone.

"You still miss her, don't you?" Plato's remark snapped Victoria out of her gaze. He always knew how she felt, and tonight was no exception. She was gone, and she hated it. She tried to convince herself that she was over it already, hiding back the tears for her brothers and sisters in the tribe. She felt that she had to be strong. All of that emotional stitch work was beginning to fall apart at the seams.

"I still can't believe it was a year ago," she reminisced. "This very night. And, whether I like it or not, I remember everything."

_The year before, Terpsichore danced the opening to the Jellicle Ball, just as she had every year. It was the beginning of a magnificent night. However, right in the middle of her solo, Macavity appeared out of nowhere and struck her down, tearing her apart upon the floor. Blood was spilt everywhere, and her once beautiful body was now mangled by The Hidden Paw. The Jellicle's heroine, brutally murdered on the most joyous of nights, her fragile body snapped like twigs, her white fur matted with blood. And to top it all off, just as fast as he came, Macavity completely vanished, leaving a dying cat in the middle of the floor, a twisted husk, holding on to her life by a single thread. The tribe was devastated, including the young, pearlescent kitten, weeping in the corner. She saw something that no child should ever see. The air was filled with sorrow. Every cat was silent. They couldn't believe she was gone. No one could say anything. There was nothing to say. And then, Old Deuteronomy broke the silence._

"_Tonight," he boomed, fighting back tears, "we have lost one of our own. Right in the middle of her shining moment, she was struck down by a menace that has plagued our minds and now our hearts. There is nothing more we can do tonight. Out of respect for the recently deceased, I ask that you all return home to your dens, while I perform the ceremony, and send her soul up to the Heaviside Layer…"_

"I will never get that night out of my head," Victoria remarked. "To be torn apart like that… is just unbearable to watch. I danced tonight in memory of her, exactly as she used to. I only wish… I could've done something."

"So do we all, Victoria," Plato comforted her. "But there was nothing we could do. Even our bravest fighters – Alonzo, Munkustrap, Tugger, and my brother – couldn't have done anything. He was there and then just…poof!" Plato thought for a moment. "How is Quaxo faring?"

"Much better than me, that's for sure. He was still shaken, but he didn't witness it like I did. He was still too young to go to the ball. Tonight was his first time. He was with Jelly when he heard the news." Victoria started to cry. "Oh, mama!" she yelled out, "Why did you have to leave me? Why?"

The tears at last appeared, no longer able to be suppressed. They flooded her eyes, running down her beautiful face, her hands shaking, her body being racked with sobs.

"Plato…" she whispered.

"Yes, Victoria?"

"Hold me. Please."

And so he did. The two bodies became one in the tight embrace of love that cannot be broken. They were still, his arms around her, her arms around him, as the sun began to peek over the horizon, signaling a new day that they would have to face.

But it would be the first of many they would face together.


End file.
